Skate blades may require frequent sharpening, depending on the frequency of use. Skate blades can become dull or damaged not only with normal use but also if they come into contact with a hard surface, such as a concrete floor or a rock.
Many skate sharpening devices are known. Traditional shop skate sharpening utilises a horizontally disposed grinding wheel. The skate is mounted in a clamp with the blade horizontal. The center of the blade is placed at the same elevation as the center of the wheel and the blade is run along the grinding wheel for sharpening. These sharpeners are not portable and require the skate owner to take the skates to the shop, which is inconvenient and can prove costly if the skates require frequent sharpening.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,170 discloses an ice skate support sharpening apparatus. The apparatus is a bag that contains a central cavity with a left and a right flap. Within each flap is an ice skate support member with a "v" shaped groove, for receiving the ice skate blade, containing a sharpening stone. The apparatus can be adapted to contain fluid reservoirs that transport a fluid, such as a lubricant oil, to the "v" shaped grooves. The apparatus can be cumbersome for a user to transport as it adds additional "luggage" to the user's equipment. The apparatus requires the user to pass the skate through an opening and place it in the "v" shaped groove within the enclosure of the bag, which may prove awkward for the user.
Portable hand-held sharpeners are known. These devices usually have an elongated slot, for receiving the skate blade, with honing stones for sharpening the blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,556 discloses a portable ice skate blade sharpener with two elongated slots. A first slot contains a honing stone at the bottom of the slot for sharpening the blade and the a second slot contains opposing honing stones along the side walls for deburring the skate blade. The process requires two steps for sharpening and deburring the blade which may be time consuming for the user. The device may also be lost amongst equipment or left behind after use.
Skate guards are known. Traditional skate guards are used to protect the skate blade when not in use and to allow the user to walk in the skate on a non-ice surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,196 discloses a guard for skate, made from a flexible material, for allowing the user to walk on a non-ice surface. The guard has a body that contains a groove that has fins extending from the interior walls. When the blade is placed in the groove the fins are deflected downwards securing the blade in place. The bottom side of the body is concave downwards and, when pressure is applied by the user, exerts a force that narrows the top of the groove providing further pressure on the blade to secure it in position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,568 discloses a skate guard that has a guard bar with a channel and a heel block. The channel narrows at the toe end to exert a pressure that holds the skate blade securely. The blade is inserted into the guard with the heel portion first followed by the toe, a spring exerts tension on the guard to hold the blade in place. When the blade is in place the blade's runner edge is held with minimum contact with the guard in order to protect the blade edge.
These skate guards merely provide protection for the skate blade in between required sharpenings. It is therefore desirable to provide an ice skate guard that contains a sharpening device. It is further desirable to provide a skate guard that contains a sharpening device that allows the user to sharpen the blade of the skate whilst protecting the blade and allowing the user to walk on a non-ice surface.